LAS VEGAS, NV -- Pound-for-Pound king Manny 'Pacman' Pacquiao, who never fails to pray to implore the Divine Providence in his boxing career, TKO'd Olympian gold medalist and Pay-Per-View king Oscar 'Golden Boy' de la Hoya on the 8th round of their aborted scheduled 12-round match at the MGM Golden Arena here last December 6, before 15,001 boxing enthusiasts, who came from the various parts of the United States and the Philippines.
Fight photo by Romeo Balboa. Mass photo by Benjie Uy
Pacman's impressive record in boxing continued to shine as he dominated the fight with his barrage of left and right combinations, hitting hard De la Hoya's face, head and body. While Pacquiao is shorter in height and reach, compared to De la Hoya, it seemed to have no bearing at all considering that De la Hoya was not able to use them to his advantage. The speed and strength Pacquiao displayed during the eight rounds of boxing bout delighted the huge crowd, as well as those who watched the fight elsewhere.
Pacquiao became in trouble in fifth round when De la Hoya grabbed Pacquiao's head and hit him with a couple of left hooks on the chin and forehead. Just as soon as Pacquiao was able to free himself from the clutches of the Golden Boy, he raised both arms as if to tell his opponent that "I am still here to fight you back."
In the seventh round, Pacquiao relentlessly and vigorously pursued with all his might De la Hoya, cornered him with his back against the ropes, then executed a flurry of combinations, severely hurting the Golden Boy's face and body.
It was lopsided from the beginning, with Pacquiao landing punch after punch while De La Hoya chased after him, trying to catch him with a big punch. De La Hoya remained upright, but with one eye closed and his reflexes seemingly gone, there was no chance he was going to land the big punches he would have needed to turn the fight around. Ringside statistics showed Pacquiao landed 45 power punches in the seventh round to just four for De La Hoya.
"He's just a great fighter," De La Hoya said. "I have nothing bad to say about him. He prepared like a true champion."
Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 knockouts) came up two weight classes to fight for his biggest purse ever, while De La Hoya dropped down to meet him at 147 pounds. Though De La Hoya (39-6) towered over Pacquiao and had a big reach advantage over him, Pacquiao had no trouble getting inside to deliver strong punches.
Pacquiao was credited with landing 224 of 585 punches to just 83 of 402 for De La Hoya.
"We knew we had him after the first round," Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, said. "He had no legs, he was hesitant and he was shot. The plan was to hit De la Hoya more in his body, and Pacquiao was successful in implementing this strategy."
Roach trained De La Hoya in his last big fight a year ago and said De La Hoya simply couldn't throw punches when he needed in that fight. That was magnified even more against Pacquiao, who not only was as elusive as Floyd Mayweather Jr. but threw punches back that kept De La Hoya off pace.
"Freddie, you're right," De La Hoya told the trainer after the fight. "I just don't have it anymore."
"My heart still wants to fight, that's for sure," De La Hoya added. "But when your physical doesn't respond, what can you do? I have to be smart and make sure I think about my future plans."
De La Hoya not only dropped down to fight for the first time at 147 pounds in seven years, but actually came into the ring unofficially weighing less than Pacquiao. Both fighters got on scales in their dressing rooms and De La Hoya was 147 while Pacquiao was 148 and a half.
Pacquiao earned his biggest purse ever, a guaranteed $11 million, while De La Hoya was expected to make at least twice that in a fight by the time all the pay-per-view revenues are totaled up.
Suffering from too much beating that caused De la Hoya's left eye to close, the latter declined to come out of his corner after the eighth round upon the advice of his trainer, Ignacio Beristain. "I stopped the fight because it's my job to save my fighter from taking further punishment from Pacquiao," says Beristain during the post fight press conference at the MGM Media Center.
Referee Tony Weeks motioned the fight was over as De la Hoya walked toward the middle of the ring and greeted Pacquiao with a congratulatory hug.
It was only the second time in De La Hoya's 16-year pro career that he was stopped in a fight, and it was made even more shocking because it came at the hands of a fighter who fought at just 129 pounds months earlier. At the age of 35 he seemed not only well beyond his prime, but unable to offer any answer to the punches that Pacquiao was landing almost at will. Dubbed as "Mexicutioner," Pacman proved it once more by demolishing the man thought to be the one designated to avenge for the five Latino boxers Pacquiao demolished before.
De La Hoya offered no complaints when his corner decided he had enough, getting up from his stool and walking to the center of the ring to congratulate the victor.
"You're still my idol," Pacquiao told him.
"No, you're my idol," De La Hoya said.
Two of the three ringside judges scored all eight rounds for Pacquiao, while a third gave De La Hoya only the first round. The Associated Press scored every round for the winner.
De La Hoya was taken to a hospital for the usual precautionary measure after the fight, and was not able to join the post fight press conference. But Beristain told Pacquiao: "On behalf of Oscar, I would like to congratulate you on your impressive performance. You truly deserve the unanimous decision rendered by the three judges."
Pacquiao thanked Beristain then told the more than 500 members of the press in attendance: "I would like to tell you that, that bout was purely between the two fighters. It was not a fight between Filipinos versus Mexicans. If you witnessed a good fight on the ring, we did it to give you your money's worth. I love the Mexicans."
"Gusto ko namang magsalita ng Tagalog," Pacquiao told the members of the press. ("I would like to speak in Tagalog, our national Language"). "Unang una sa lahat, nais kong magpasalamat sa Poong Maykapal sa pagbibigay Niya sa akin ng lakas at talino upang magwagi sa katatapos na laban. Ang aking tagumpay ay hindi lamang para sa akin at sa aking pamilya. Ang tagumpay ko ay iniaalay ko kay Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, sa Bansang Pilipinas, at sa kapwa ko mga Pilipino sa buong mundo," patuloy ni Manny. ("First of all, I would like to thank our dear Lord for giving me strength and talent to beat my opponent in the just concluded fight. My victory was not just for myself and my family. I am dedicating my victory to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, to the whole Philippines, and to the Filipino people all over the world," continued Manny).
Bob Arum, CEO of Top Rank, and Pacquiao's promoter, said in jest: "Prior to the Dream Match fight, they say it was a mismatch. And mismatch it really was," drawing some laughter from the members of the press. He then called on the Mexican Team Pacquiao to recognize them for their open support to Manny Pacquiao.
While Pacquiao was busy entertaining questions from the members of both the national, international and local presses, Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson and Energy Secretary Lito Atienza were flanking Pacquiao onstage all the time, as if they were the close-in security for the People's Champ. They only distanced from Manny Pacquiao a little bit when the latter went to Mandalay Bay's Rum Jungle to join the rest of his supporters and fans in the after fight party, where he received warm congratulatory hugs and handshakes from Philippine Vice Noli de Castro and Consul General Mary Jo Bernardo Aragon of the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles.
Photo by Benjie Uy. Click here to resize
The after fight party was covered by the News Team of the MANILA-U.S. TIMES that included this writer, Joseph Pecayo, Adam Banz, Manny Alvarez, Jr., Romeo M. Balboa and Benjie Uy, in collaboration with Dan Soliven of the Dynamic Synergy Corporation, organizer of the After Fight Party, and Charina Carrera.
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